NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / World

Sweden's Fritzl: Inside 'evil' doctor's 'rape dungeon'

Daily Mail
17 Jan, 2016 02:13 AM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

A mask found in the doctor's home and the inside of the bunker he built. Photos / Supplied

A mask found in the doctor's home and the inside of the bunker he built. Photos / Supplied

A doctor has been charged with drugging, kidnapping and raping a woman in her 30s and holding her hostage in a purpose-built bunker in his home in Sweden for nearly a week.

He drugged the woman using strawberries laced with Rohypnol in her Stockholm home, after which he raped her and drove more than 550km to a property outside Kristianstad, south Sweden.

The 38-year-old is accused of keeping her locked up, raping and sexually abusing her for a week, but prosecutors believe he intended to keep her in the dungeon-like bunker for "several years".

The pair had met once before when the 38-year-old doctor visited the woman in her flat in central Stockholm on September 12.

He is accused of drugging the woman with juice and chocolate-dipped strawberries, marking which of the berries he had laced with Rohypnol by drawing on the stem leaves.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

He then raped the woman while she was passed out in her home, before transporting her in a wheelchair to his car, the Swedish news website Aftonbladet reports.

He drove from Stockholm to his home, a large property outside Kristianstad, 555km south of Stockholm, during which time he also injected her with a soporific to keep her sedated.

Prosecutors say he had brought two rubber masks of an old woman and a man with a beard to use as disguises during the car journey, which police later found in his bedroom.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Upon arrival at the property he locked the woman in the prison-like bunker where he repeatedly raped her during six days in captivity.

Police found traces of Rohypnol in the juice and champagne bottles and the glass in the victim's flat. Photo / Supplied
Police found traces of Rohypnol in the juice and champagne bottles and the glass in the victim's flat. Photo / Supplied

The man is believed to have built the 60sq m bunker himself, with the purpose of keeping at least one person captive over a long period of time, starting five years ago.

The concrete-enforced walls are 12.5 inches thick and the bunker has a bedroom, functioning toilet and a fully fitted kitchen, Swedish police reports.

The bunker even has a small, covered courtyard, where the person living in the bunker would be able to go outside without being seen by neighbours.

He also withdrew blood and took vaginal samples from the woman which he tested at a lab in his place of work, later confessing that he did this to ensure she did not have any STDs.

Police found a plastic full of drugs, syringes and condoms in the doctor's home. Photo / Supplied
Police found a plastic full of drugs, syringes and condoms in the doctor's home. Photo / Supplied

He is also believed to have forced the woman to take contraceptive pills so he could have unprotected sex with her.

According to a police report seen by Swedish media, the woman was bound or cuffed for a majority of her time in captivity, including when the doctor raped her.

After a few days the doctor drove back to the woman's home in Stockholm to bring her some personal possessions, only to discover that she had been reported missing and police had broken into her flat.

The doctor is believed to have panicked, and brought the woman to Stockholm where they visited a police station together on September 18.

The bunker in which police believe the doctor planned to hold the woman prisoner for years. Photo / Supplied
The bunker in which police believe the doctor planned to hold the woman prisoner for years. Photo / Supplied

Prosecutors say the 38-year-old forced the woman to tell police a fake story that she was safe and well, in order to call off the search, but officers grew suspicious and took her to one side.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The woman then told police the full story of her horrific ordeal, after which the man was arrested.

"We believe his intention has been to keep the woman locked up for several years," chief prosecutor Peter Claeson said.

"We also suspect him of planning this for years. Among other things, he has built the bunker to bring one or more victims."

Friends of the doctor who have spoken to Swedish media have expressed their shock and surprise at the news.

"In the beginning, when this got out, you kind of thought that 'maybe it's not so serious, maybe it's blown out of proportion', but now that he's been charged it's become clear how f***ing sick this is. It's like a film," a close friend of the doctor told Kristianstadsbladet.

The masks were stashed in a brown paper bag. Photo / Supplied
The masks were stashed in a brown paper bag. Photo / Supplied

The friend describes the 38-year-old as socially awkward but helpful and polite, but adds that he is "almost too sharp, intellectually, for his own good".

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"The more I read about this the more confused I get. He's not the kind of person you look at and think 'he'll lock up and abuse a woman'."

- Daily Mail

Save

    Share this article

Latest from World

World

Secrets of Okunoshima: Poison gas island's hidden WWII history

21 Jun 02:20 AM
World

Australian sailor with genital herpes removes condom during sex

21 Jun 02:05 AM
World

Hundreds of US citizens fleeing Iran amid Israel conflict

21 Jun 01:45 AM

Jono and Ben brew up a tea-fuelled adventure in Sri Lanka

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from World

Secrets of Okunoshima: Poison gas island's hidden WWII history

Secrets of Okunoshima: Poison gas island's hidden WWII history

21 Jun 02:20 AM

The factory had produced 6616 tons of toxic gases by the war's end.

Australian sailor with genital herpes removes condom during sex

Australian sailor with genital herpes removes condom during sex

21 Jun 02:05 AM
Hundreds of US citizens fleeing Iran amid Israel conflict

Hundreds of US citizens fleeing Iran amid Israel conflict

21 Jun 01:45 AM
'We will not accept': Niger Delta chief's $20b demand from Shell

'We will not accept': Niger Delta chief's $20b demand from Shell

21 Jun 01:28 AM
Help for those helping hardest-hit
sponsored

Help for those helping hardest-hit

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP